Karasufurai
by Camotaru
Summary: The crow can't remember much of the Humans. He wonders if there are any left. Their world had been overrun by the Grays long ago.
1. Chapter 1: Kojin

**Karasufurai**

 _Chapter 1: Kojin_

The crow was bored.

He couldn't remember much of the Humans and their world, but the shock of the change had long since worn off.

Their world had been overrun by the Grays long ago.

He had watched safely from high above as one Gray had entered his Nest. It proceeded to attack a Human, biting down on it once before moving along. Soon after, the Human's skin had faded to gray, and the new Gray had started to attack the other Humans.

And on and on and on.

The crow can't remember much of the Humans. He wonders if there are any left.

* * *

 _Fly, Karasuno!_ whispers the voice in his dream.

He ignores it. He will not leave his nest.

His gaze focuses in on a certain Gray. It is getting too close to his Banner.

Nothing is allowed to get close to his Banner.

The crow swoops down and screeches, attracting the attention of the Grays in the area. Like a swarm of bees, they lunge at him, but he stays higher than they can reach as he flies a ways off. After he guides the Grays away, the crow doubles back, too silent to catch their attention, and lands near his Banner once more.

 _Fly, Karasuno!_ he knows it reads, spelled out in bold, white Human characters on the silky, black cloth.

He ignores it. This has been his nest for as long as he can remember.

The crow settles down in the ruins of the old school, the tattered sign rippling in the breeze below him.


	2. Chapter 2: Kiken

**Karasufurai**

 _Chapter 2: Kiken_

The Grays that wander around his Nest are anything but silent. They groan, or mumble strange noises to themselves, or even sometimes trip and break a bone on the ground. Regardless of what noise it is, the Grays are never quiet.

Except these two.

It's their silence that makes him study them carefully. They shuffle next to each other, seemingly going nowhere, but as he watches, they seem to get progressively closer to him and his Banner.

Squinting, the crow peers closer.

He freezes.

Their skin isn't gray. The fine layer of dust coating them makes it seem so, but as they approach, he can tell that their skin is undeniably tan.

They have Human skin.

Those two are Humans.

* * *

He watches them curiously. The two Humans seem to understand that the Grays are attracted to sound not made by other Grays; they move without a breath of sound between them.

It's then he realizes it.

They are too close to his Banner.

The shorter Human takes another step, and the crow moves. Springing up on to the stone near the Banner, he fluffs up his feathers and crouches down in case he has to start flying.

The Humans freeze.

Then, the shorter one grins. Suddenly, he starts doing a strange dance complete with complex hand gestures. When he is done, he beams up at the crow as if expecting him to understand his message.

Both the crow and the taller Human stare. Then the taller Human silently facepalms.

The crow wisely decides to refer to the shorter Human as 'Idiot'.

The taller Human turns to the crow and makes frustrated shooing motions at him with a slightly constipated look on his face. Then, as if he had full permission, he begins to stroll up to the Banner and reach out for it.

What?! _No._ That doesn't belong to him! He has no right to take the crow's things like a self-absorbed, arrogant _king_.

Instantly, the crow calls out, and all the Grays in the area race towards them. The two Humans give one another a look before bolting off in the ruins of the school.

The crow watches them go with narrowed eyes. Good. Hopefully the Humans will get turned by the Grays. He doesn't really care if the Humans go extinct, or even if they rise up from wherever they've been hiding and defeat the Grays.

But _no one_ touches his Banner. His Banner is what he lives for, his one purpose in the this strange world.

His Nest next to his Banner is the one place the weary crow feels like he belongs.


	3. Chapter 3: Kazoku

**Karasufurai**

 _Chapter 3: Kazoku_

The next morning, the two Humans return, and the crow is shocked.

He is not shocked by the fact that they returned, however, but by the fact that he found himself _expecting_ them to return.

They approach him and his Banner warily this time, staying a safe distance away. The tall one (the _king,_ he thinks to himself) is glaring up at him with caution in his eyes.

Fool grins.

He holds up a plank of slightly soggy wood. On it, carved in childish kanji, are the words, **THAT FLAG IS A SYMBOL OF THE ONLY FAMILY WE HAVE LEFT. MAY WE TAKE IT PLEASE?**

King rolls his eyes and crosses his arms as if he doubts the crow can read. Yeah, right. Fool is staring up at him with a pleading expression, lips pouting slightly.

 _Family,_ the crow thinks with an odd sense of longing. He can only ever remember being alone.

Just to see the look on King's face, he shuffles to the side, away from his Banner. King's mouth drops and his eyes widen for an instant, before he regains his composure and shoves his hands in his pockets. Fool sets his sign down as trots up to his Banner gleefully, and then he _jumps_ and grabs the corner.

The crow can only stare.

Not only is he a fool, but he's a _freak_! The tiny Human just sprang right up, higher than the crow had ever seen anything jump before. Then, as if it is an everyday event, Fool holds out the Banner proudly to King, who proceeds to yank on Fool's hair harshly.

Eventually, the two wander away through the mass of Grays, still bickering silently.

The crow gazes around at his nest. The crumbled stone and plaster of the old school around him seems bare without his Banner.

The crow wonders if his Banner was a part of his non-existent family, too.

Without another thought, the crow slights from his perch and soars after the two Humans.

He doesn't look back.


	4. Chapter 4: Kaishi

**Karasufurai**

 _Chapter 4: Kaishi_

The crow flies for what seems like forever. His wings ache and he has to struggle to keep them beating, having never put this kind of strain on them before.

The crow is happy.

He has a purpose. _Fly, Karasuno!_ his Banner had always begged him. Now, he can finally obey.

* * *

The Humans had gotten into a worn-down van as soon as they exited the old school. The sound of the ignition had instantly triggered the reaction of thousands of Grays, though, so they had been going at top speed from the start. The van, despite how shabby it looks, still outpaces the pursuing Grays quickly.

When they had left, it had been morning. Now, it is bordering on evening.

The crow assumes the two Humans have some kind of food in their car, as they don't stop, but he has no such thing. He is absolutely _famished_.

It's still worth it.

Just when he thinks he might fall out of the sky, the Humans' van slows and makes a turn into a wide, well-worn path.

The crow forces his exhausted wings to carry him a little further, and follows Fool and King from high above as they exit the van and sneak through the sparse patches of trees.

He watches in fascination as they (Fool with the large black bundle of his Banner in his arms) silently duck through the foliage that is steadily getting more and more dense.

The crow noiselessly flits from tree to tree, keeping close to the ground but out of the Humans' sight.

He shuffles along a branch, starts to glance up to see where the Humans are, and freezes.

The crow stares at the scene in front of him, muscles locked in place, and realizes that what he thought were two desperate Humans in search of a reminder of family are anything but that.

This is the start of something much, much greater.


	5. Chapter 5: Kyanpu

**Karasufurai**

 _Chapter 5: Kyanpu_

The entire Encampment is surrounded in a humming net of electricity.

Inside, there are Humans, and things that are distinctly _not_ Human. They aren't Grays, either, or any form of animal. They have vaguely Human-shaped bodies, but the sunlight glints off of them unnaturally. Their muscles seem stiff, and their movements jerky, like they couldn't quite figure out how to move correctly.

Fool and King enter the Encampment.

The crow is hesitant to do the same after he notices the electric barrier open for the Humans, then close instantly.

He doesn't think it will do that for him.

But they have his Banner. He let them take it, sure, but it isn't like he's just going to abandon it.

The crow flies around the barrier, searching for a way inside.

He _needs_ to be with his Banner. _Family,_ his mind says, and he's inclined to agree.

{=-=}

It's his third loop around the Encampment when he sees the Human on the outside. It is moving through the trees at a pace too rapid to be casual.

There is something clutched in its arms, and a large horde of Grays behind it.

It, or _he_ , as the Human gets closer, is crying.

That's wrong. He isn't supposed to be crying.

The other Humans inside the barrier have taken notice, but they are too far away. Even the crow can tell that the Human on the outside won't make it in time, weighed down by the objects he is holding.

Time slows down.

The Gray in the lead catches up.

The Human screams.

 _Fly, Karasuno!_ commands his Banner, so he does.

His wings are throbbing in agony, but he doesn't have time to think before he is suddenly _there_ , in between the Human and the Gray.

The crow snaps his wings out, tilted downwards slightly, and shields the Human from the Gray.

No. He doesn't shield. He _blocks_.

Then, in an instant, his talons are slicing into the rotting flesh of the Gray, wings snapping down, and he shoots up again, screeching for all he is worth. The Gray barely misses him, blackened teeth closing a second too late to catch his tail feathers.

The Grays all immediately focus on him as he continues to screech, swooping around above them in a blinding fury.

 _No one_ hurt _that_ Human.

He was _family_.

{=-=}

When he has finished successfully drawing the Grays away, he turns back towards the Encampment, wings numb with a bone-deep exhaustion.

When he gets close, he can see a group of Humans waiting for him.

He recognizes Fool, King, and the Human he saved, but there are many more there as well. Then, one of the Humans he doesn't recognize pushes a button on a remote it is holding.

A gap opens up in the barrier. The crow obligingly swoops down.

The Human that opened the barrier, the one with sliver hair and a spot on his face, smiles gently and pushes the button to close the gap. 'Smile', the crow dubs him in his head. The Human seems too happy and gentle for this world. Smile, well, _smiles,_ and opens his mouth to speak.

This, apparently, is the signal for the other Human to all start talking.

Fool blubbers and babbles on and on, random sound effects sprouting from his mouth as he swings his arms around wildly. King stares at him with suspicion and something akin to respect in his eyes, blatantly ignoring Fool.

Another, shorter Human prattles loudly on as well, and a much larger one timidly stutters apologies and gratitude. 'Timid' and 'Tiny', the crow names them mentally.

Two other Humans whisper nervously to each other, and a third one eyes him with an unreadable expression. 'One', 'Two', and 'Three', he thinks, already bored with them, because why not?

Another loud Human literally _wails_ at him, tears streaming down his face, and the crow can't help but be utterly disgusted. He's acting more foolish than Fool! 'Loud', he names him, and turns to the next Human.

The one he saved.

This Human isn't making any noise, just staring at him with a confused, hopeful look on his freckled face.

'Freckles', the crow decides to call him, but the name doesn't sound right.

Just then, another Human comes out from behind Smile, and raises his hand.

The other Humans, miraculously, shut up.

"The commander and the other soldiers are on there way over here. You guys know we aren't supposed to bring anything in here except what they allow. We were told to leave everything else on the outside." He pauses, and the others look at him with varying expressions of hope, sorrow, and resignation.

The Human sighs and runs a weary hand through his hair.

"Hinata, Kageyama, hide the banner. The rest of you find a way to keep the crow hidden."

The Humans beam, and, as one, cheer, "Yes, Captain!"

'Captain' sighs again, but he is smiling.

The Humans all put their heads together, then, and say, "Fly, Karasuno!"

All but two.

Freckles says nothing, and neither does the crow.


	6. Chapter 6: Keikoku

**Karasufurai**

 _Chapter 6: Keikoku_

The Humans end up shoving him and his Banner inside of a locker.

A _locker._

He is _so_ going to peck them when he gets out.

"Don't worry; I'm a crow whisperer!" Tiny had proclaimed proudly, "If we just put him in here, he won't make a noise!" The others had shifted doubtfully, but no one had protested.

Freckles had gazed at him with an unreadable expression, standing silently in the back.

But the crow doesn't want to be separated from his Banner, so he stays silent, reluctant as he is to follow the orders of someone like Tiny. Also, his wings really need a rest.

* * *

The crow snaps awake when the locker opens, not even having realized he fell asleep in the first place.

Captain stares at him impassively; his face is set in a neutral expression. He steps back, and silently offers his arm. The crow hesitates, but hops on.

Captain closes the locker and walks around the side of the building into the shadows. He takes a deep breath, and speaks.

"I understand that you are no ordinary crow. Most likely, you are the result of one of the experiments they have here. How you escaped, I have no idea. Why you returned, even less. These things have kept a ton of us humans here, and only send us out to get supplies one at a time, because they know we won't leave without our entire group." He leans closer, eyes grim and serious. "We owe a great debt to you, and based off of your actions today, I'm inclined to believe you're on our side. If you hadn't come in when you had, Tadashi would be gone. _However_ , others have betrayed our trust before, and we have... we have suffered the consequences for it. I don't care who you are, or what you can do. If you do anything that could potentially bring harm to my family, _I will end you._ Am I understood?"

The crow nods very quickly, and is returned to the comfort of the smelly, cramped locker.

It isn't too much later until he shoots awake again, barely managing to keep silent in the face of his horrifying nightmare. He doesn't get that much sleep that night.

The crow had faced swarms of Grays before, but _nothing_ is as scary as Captain.


	7. Chapter 7: Kotoba

**Karasufurai**

 _Chapter 7: Kotoba_

The next morning, the crow is rudely awaken by a face drastically different than the one haunting his sleep.

He glares at Fool, unimpressed by the radiance of his grin.

"C'mon!" he exclaims in excitement, "We're gonna go see Kenma today!" Lowering his voice to what is probably supposed to be a whisper, the Human adds, "Kenma is our _technology expert_. Noya-sempai says its because he used to play on his phone all the time, and it accepted him as its own kind and gave him all its secrets."

The crow doesn't know who this _Noya-sempai_ is, but he sounds like just as much as an idiot as Fool is. Wonderful.

{=-=}

He and the Humans, minus Captain, Smile, and Freckles, are just walking out of the shelter when the crow hears the enraged roars of Captain and another Human. He hears them loud and clear, even though he is shoved under his Banner in a bag carried by Timid.

"-LOOK LIKE I CARE ABOUT SOME VOW TO A DEAD TEENAGER?! YOU PEOPLE TOLD ME THE BRAT WAS MUTE! _MUTE!_ IF HE WAS MUTE, WHY COULD WE HEAR HIM SCREAMING?!"

"I TOLD YOU, _COMMANDER!_ JUST BECAUSE HE HAS THE ABILITY TO TALK DOES NOT MEAN HE HAS THE WILL! AND I WILL NOT STAND TO HEAR YOU INSULTING MY TEAM LIKE THAT!"

"YOUR TEAM?! YOUR _TEAM?!_ YOU ARE MERE CHILDREN! JUST BECAUSE YOU PLAYED A BALL GAME WITH EACH OTHER ONCE UPON A TIME, YOU THINK THEY ARE YOURS?! DON'T FORGET, _I_ GAVE YOU BRATS SHELTER! YOU ALL BELONG TO _ME!_ IF HE _CAN_ TALK, THEN HE _WILL_!"

"HE MADE A PROMISE-"

"AND I TOLD YOU I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THAT PROMISE! HIS FRIEND IS _DEAD!_ HE IS _GONE,_ AND HE ISN'T GOING TO RETURN!"

By now, they have come around the corner. The crow can tell that the Humans have caught sight of the argument by the way the footsteps all stop as one. Pushing his beak through the zipper, the crow makes a hole in the bag big enough to see out of.

The thing shouting at Captain is not a Human.

It is one of the Not-Humans, and as he peers closer, he realizes that the material it is made out of looks... metallic? The Not-Human is also very large, about twice the size of Timid. Its eyes glow an unnatural silver.

Captain is leaning forward slightly, face red with rage as he glares at the Not-Human with his scariest face possible. Behind him cowers Freckles, who looks like he is about to cry. Next to Freckles stands Smile, who has the coldest look on his face the crow has ever seen. Smiles weight is shifted the slightest bit in front of Freckles, as if to protect him.

Captain takes a step forward, and the crow thinks, _Fly away._

He takes another step, and the crow frantically uses his beak to push open the zipper more. The rest of the Humans seem frozen in place; by anger of fear, he doesn't know.

Captain takes a final step, and then everything goes completely and utterly _wrong._


	8. Chapter 8: Kakeru

**Karasufurai**

 _Chapter 8: Kakeru_

A lot of things happen at once.

The Not-Human swings his arm around and slams it into Captain.

Captain flies backwards over Smiles and Freckles' heads, smashing into the wall and crumpling on to the ground unmoving.

Freckles drops to the ground, his hands over his ears and tears streaming down his face from tightly shut eyes.

Smile cries out and races over to Captain, a stricken look on his face.

King, Loud, Fool, Tiny, and One scream in fury and charge at the Not-Human, Tiny diving down while Fool leaps for its head.

Timid, Two, and Three run over to Captain and Smile, fear sketched into their movements.

And the crow frees himself from the bag.

Many emotions are racing through his head. He is beyond enraged at the Not-Human, and concerned for Captain. He does not know why. He barely knows Captain. He wants to return to his Nest with his Banner, where everything was simple and routine. He wants to stay, to _do something,_ and help these Humans. He wants to _fly._

He goes to Freckles.

The human is hunched down, curling into a ball. He's shaking, sobbing, but utterly silent. The Not-Human and Captain mentioned a promise to a fallen friend. He doesn't believe "dead" is the correct term to use, though.

The crow lands in front of Freckles, and waits.

Around him, Humans are crying out in pain, worry, rage, grief-

But he waits, in the midst of the battle. He waits for his friend to rise.

And he does.

The Human lifts his head, and his eyes meet the crows.

Slowly, his breath hitches, and starts to even out.

Realization causes his face to slacken, then tense up in a myriad of emotions.

"Sorry, Tsukki," Yamaguchi croaks, his voice hoarse, "I was being really pathetic right there, wasn't I?"

The crow nods. He _was_ acting quite pathetically.

Yamaguchi holds out his arm, and the crow hops on to it. He stands, wiping his tears, and faces the enemy. The team lays scattered around him, broken and bleeding on the ground.

"Tadashi, come here." says Suga shakily. He, Asahi, Kinnoshita, and Narita are still standing over Daichi protectively. Yamaguchi turns and looks at them, eyes filled with a new determination.

" _No._ " he states firmly, and their jaws drop as one. The crow would find it funny in a less somber situation. Instead, he turns to Yamaguchi, nods once, and flies away.

This is just another match for Karasuno to win. Tsukishima has been stuck on the sidelines for far too long. Now its time for him to unfold his wings, and _fly_.


	9. Chapter 9: Koe

**Karasufurai**

 _Chapter 9: Koe_

He can hear his teammates behind him, putting up a valiant struggle. Time and time again, they rise back up refusing to stay down.

 _This is_ exactly _like a volleyball match,_ the crow absentmindedly muses as he soars away as fast as he can.

Thoughts and memories race through his head, threatening to disorient him, but Tsukishima has always been good at keeping his mind under control.

He misses his headphones, though.

Tsukishima wonders when his life took a turn for the worse.

 _Probably when the zombie outbreak happened,_ he thinks sardonically, vaguely remembering the movies Yamaguchi used to make him watch. _Let's see. . . there was a zombie apocalypse. . . and the camp is filled with Non-Humans- robots, actually-. . .and I lost my memory when I got experimented on and trapped in a crow's body._

Tsukishima also wonders when he became the protagonist in the clash of sci-fi movies that was his life.

 _I knew I shouldn't have joined the Karasuno Volleyball Team. Everything weird always happens with them._

* * *

It doesn't take him long to locate the teams so-called "technology expert". The strange, quiet boy actually doesn't look all that different than he did before, discounting the lack of blonde in his hair.

Tsukishima swoops down and lands in front of Kenma, his wings unsettling the papers on the desk. The boy turns his sharp, analytical gaze on him, pondering for all but a second, before he gives an almost imperceptible nod.

Tsukishima could honestly care less about whatever Kenma is thinking, and (thankfully) unlike his orange-haired friend, the former setter obviously has no desire to tell him. Instead, he stands, grabs what looks like a souped-up old cell phone, and presses a few things on it. Finally, he turns his gaze to the crow.

"Allies notified. You may return."

Tsukishima is slightly surprised to hear Kenma's voice sound like it does. Sure, he hadn't talked much before, but he is fairly sure it had never sounded like this.

It hadn't sounded weak.

Hadn't sounded raspy.

Hadn't sounded crackly.

Kenma's voice, quite simply, sounded like he had been tortured viciously.

The crow took note of this silently.

Then he flew off without looking back.


End file.
